Warped The Red Hunt – Is it Topped?

[PipeIT]

Thread moved. Title edited.

A few weeks back, I bought my first tin of Warped The Red Hunt on SPC.

Before placing the order, I was spending quite an extreme amount of time also looking over the blends on SPC and then reading about them.

I must admit, when you look at the leaf in this, it really does look interesting.

BUT...

I thought this was going to be a Straight Blend!

There is no way this isn’t Topped, tobacco doesn’t smell this naturally sweet.

Everyone’s nose will certainly interpret different scents when it comes to tobacco, and I have a great sense of smell, and my tobacco tastes aren’t that bad either.

I have a tin of Warped Scarecrow and I find it really odd, that these two Warped blends smell similar, with The Red Hunt smelling like the lighter version of Scarecrow, it’s extremely noticeable.

I just wonder if there was a mistake here, some of a Scarecrow batch was created with this, or accidentally tossed in. It even has tastes like a very light Scarecrow too.

Hmm just odd...

Anyone here bought The Red Hunt, as well as those that bought a lot of tins, and have smoked a lot of this, to comment on it’s sweet tin note and slight sweet tastes?

Thanks

The Red Hunt - Warped Pipe Tobacco | Smokingpipes.com

Warped's The Red Hunt utilizes a mix of Red, Mahogany, and Bright Virginias, alongside vintage Orientals and finely fermented Perique for a full and complex smoke.

www.smokingpipes.com

Here’s my two tins of these Warped blends.

 

[bullet08]

From what I understand, most all leaves are cased with something sweet to round out the edge. It also has Oriental and Perique. Depends on perique, there can be a dark stone fruit note. @JimInks said he didn't notice any topping.

I haven't opened them since they came out. I hope to be surprised.

 

[PipeIT]

This jumps out of the tin, extremely noticeable, slightly alcohol and sweet tones.

If you placed it next to all the Sun Bears and Scarecrow, you’d swear it was in the same wheel house as a similar lineup/blend, with just a change up in topping(s) and leaf.

This certainly comes across like a Light Aromatic, mine is not a Pure Straight Blend.

 

[PipeIT]

By the way Casings aren’t noticeable Toppings are. You don’t smell or taste Casings.

I’m talking about this blend being Topped with something.

Casing & Flavoring
Jeremy Reeves

Casing is something that is done to delicately adjust and perfect mouthfeel, and it's done in a subtle way so that the end result is still a very natural-tasting tobacco. Its purpose is to be hidden.

Casing is generally applied to individual tobacco components rather to a blended product, so that the effect more specifically addresses particular flavor modifications. Some larger manufacturers may case some blends in their entirety, but more often it's a treatment for individual tobaccos.

Unlike casings, top notes are added to the blends rather than to the individual component tobaccos.

"Think about the terminology, 'top note,'" says Jeremy. "It is going to be an overt, clearly added aroma that is intended to be noticed. It's intended to be experienced, whereas casing is really intended not to be experienced. It's designed to fully incorporate into the natural flavor of the tobacco and not draw attention to itself, but a top note is like the cherry on top. It is definitely designed to be noticed."

The top note is added after a blend has been fully incorporated, after all of the components have been put together, and that's the final process for that tobacco before packaging.

 

[bullet08]

I'll trust his expert knowledge. Never cased a tobacco before.

 

[PipeIT]

I'll trust his expert knowledge. Never cased a tobacco before.

I don’t understand what you are saying?

 

[Chasing Embers]

I never noticed a topping on that one.

 

[PipeIT]

I never noticed a topping on that one.

If yours smells like straight VAs, Orientals and Perique, I’m assuming the blend has changed since it was introduced.

hmm

 

[Chasing Embers]

If yours smells like straight VAs, Orientals and Perique, I’m assuming the blend has changed since it was introduced.

hmm

Tart, floral, earthy, bread, and tea are all I'm getting from the tin.

 

[PipeIT]

Tart, floral, earthy, bread, and tea are all I'm getting from the tin.

So, I guess, just real tobacco smell?

Mine has a slight alcohol and light sweet candy scent, very much, as I mentioned a light Scarecrow scent.

I say alcohol of some sort too, because it jumps out of the tin, the way blends with alcohol hit the nose.

Oh well, I was hoping for real tobacco, not a Light Aromatic, which this certainly is.

 

[stearmandriver]

I had this same experience the first time I tried Presbyterian. I was expecting a light English, but it's 100% topped with vanilla. Super obvious in the smell and taste. I really wonder if somehow a batch of tobacco gets mis-tinned or something!

 

[PipeIT]

Yeah, mismatched, this is what I was thinking, because when you consider all the various ways to blend, sure, there are a lot blends that smell similar, after all VA is VA, as is Burley, Latakia, etc, as straight leaf, they smell similar.

But, this is to coincidental, two Warp blends, and The Red Hunt smells and shares similar tastes as like a lighter version of Scarecrow.

 

[Mr_houston]

There is no way this isn’t Topped, tobacco doesn’t smell this naturally sweet.

I agree. I bought 2 tins. The topping turned me off to the point I tossed half a tin and I’ll trade away the 2nd tin.

On Tobacco Reviews some guys think it’s liqueur. Jiminks didn’t notice any topping. So I don’t know what to think. But I won’t buy more.

 

[PipeIT]

The review Jim did was almost 3 years ago, seems the blend changed...

 

[JimInks]

The review Jim did was almost 3 years ago, seems the blend changed...

Maybe. I haven't smoked it since I reviewed it. I thought it was fairly sweet and I figured a casing was partly responsible, but the majority of the sweetness came from the Virginias, and some stewed fruit from the perique.

 

[ADKPiper]

I don't notice any casing
And if I remember correctly that is the only Warped blend without cigar leaf.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

I smoked a couple bowls from a friends tin when it first came out and really enjoyed it.

Recently, same friend gifted me a tin of it. Upon opening I thought it smelled different than I remembered - artificially enhanced with an alcohol vehicle. A cousin to Sun Bear, as has been noted.
I've smoked a few bowls of it and it tastes like it smells. There's gotta be something there beyond a simple sugar casing.

Right now I'm smoking Brunello Flake and my tin of Red Hunt is far and away more adulterated.

 

[kcghost]

Everybody screws with the tobacco one way or the other.

 

[PipeIT]

People keep saying Casings instead of Toppings.

Casings you don’t taste them, or even know they are there.

This has been Topped with alcohol or some sweet candy like flavor.

@kcghost when you are talking about screwing with blends one way or another Casings don’t change the Profile tastes, that you could ever notice. Their purpose is not to be noticed in any way. Did you read what I posted about what Jeremey said about Casings?

I’m only talking about Toppings, which are a noticeable taste difference.

 

[ThermionicScott]

I think your definitions of casings vs toppings are a little stricter than they are in practice. Some people are sensitive enough to notice flavoring tweaks done at the casing stage of an otherwise “untopped” blending tobacco or mixture.

And for better or worse, it’s pretty common for people to use “casing” to mean added flavors, so it’s kind of a lost cause to fight it at this point.